Let Me Save You
by CourtneyVincent
Summary: Rose Tyler turns to her History teacher, John Smith, for help after she reaches her breaking point in her relationship with Jimmy Stone... A 10/Rose AU based on Rose in college. Rated T for dealing with abusive relationships, but rating will eventually move to M in future chapters.
1. Painful Mornings

**I'm telling you now, this is a trigger warning for domestic violence and abuse. If this kind of subject bothers you, please take caution while reading this. As of right now, the rating of this story is T but I do plan on going to M in future chapters...**

Rose's eyes flew open as the alarm clock on her bedside table burst into life. She quickly shot her hand out, hoping to shut off the noise before it woke up Jimmy and pissed him off. She rolled over to look at him as soon as the sound stopped, and was relieved to see that he wasn't laying next to her in bed. She stood up and made her way to the bathroom, wincing as her movements caused a sharp pain in her side. Jimmy wasn't in the bathroom either, and Rose was glad to know that he'd already left for the morning.

Last night had been another bad one. It had been her fault, of course. She'd forgotten to pick up some food before coming home, and when Jimmy got there to find that there was nothing there for dinner, he hadn't taken it very well. The pain in Rose's side was all the proof that was needed of that.

As Rose heard girls making their way past her room, she was glad to know that Jimmy had already left. Every time he stayed the night with her, she was afraid that he wouldn't leave early enough and would get caught sneaking out of the girls dorm rooms. That was the last thing Rose needed to deal with right now. No telling how angry that little scenario would make him...

She let out a pained groan as she stretched her limbs, wishing that just for once she could wake up without any aches or pains. Maybe one day it would happen, one day when Jimmy realized how big of a wanker he could be and decided to stop. Until then, Rose would just endure. It was what she'd always done and what she'd always do.

No matter how foolish it was...

A curse escaped her lips as she fought with the mascara wand in her hand. She was still so tired, and getting mascara everywhere but her eyelashes seemed to be winning today. She fought with it for several minutes, using tissues to wipe away the smudges that had gotten where they weren't suppose to be. When she was finally satisfied, she put the wand away, just staring at herself in the mirror. She did that quite a lot, really. It was strange to see the girl staring back at her looking so tired and weak all the time. She could remember when she use to be glowing, but that seemed so far away now...

She knew it was because of Jimmy, but she couldn't really blame him. He'd had a tougher upbringing than she had. It wasn't his fault that he didn't understand how to love someone like he should. Rose knew he was doing the best he could, and one day he would learn to love her just like she'd always dreamed of. She just had to be patient til then...

Rose was thankful that it was chilly outside when she stepped out of the dorm building. She had had to wear a hoodie that day, the long sleeves covering a bruise that was shining on her right forearm. Jimmy had held her just a little too tightly last night, and his fingers had dug into her skin, leaving the trace of his fingers behind. The worst was when it was warm outside and she had to wear long sleeves. Everyone thought she was odd, and Rose wouldn't doubt that a few people were a bit suspicious with what was going on. She always ignored them though, content to keep to herself rather than deal with everyone's accusations.

Rose smiled as she walked into her first class of the day. It was her favorite, really. Not that she really cared for History much, but she loved the teacher that taught it. His name was Mr. Smith, and Rose had had a good feeling about him ever since he walked into their classroom a month ago.

"Morning, Miss Tyler." He greeted, giving her a wink as she grinned at him.

"Good morning." She replied. She stepped over to his desk, letting her eyes skim across the pages that were scattered there. "Hope you're not gonna bore us to death today." Her tongue poked through her teeth as she teased him, and Rose couldn't help but realize that was the first time she'd truly smiled in a while.

"Me? Boring? Nah." Mr. Smith grinned as he hopped over to the opposite corner of his desk, picking up a video tape for her to see. "Actually, you lot get to watch a film today. 'The Gods of Ancient Rome'."

Rose couldn't help but laugh at his excited expression. "So just a bit borin' then."

Mr. Smith frowned. "Miss Tyler, you break my heart." He teased. "Now, go on. Off to your seat."

Rose rolled her eyes as she did what he said.

The film had only been playing for a few minutes when Rose felt her eyes start fighting to close. She really hadn't gotten much rest last night, Jimmy keeping her awake for most of it. She struggled to keep herself awake, even taking out a pencil and notebook to scribble on. She drew things she saw in the film, giving them her own twist as she tried to concentrate. Sooner or later, however, she lost the fight and was soon snoring lightly at her desk.

"Didn't think I'd really bore you to death."

Rose jumped at the voice and quickly jerked her head up. Mr. Smith frowned when he realized he had frightened her. "I'm sorry." He apologized. "Didn't realize I'd scare you that bad."

Rose shook her head as she tried to get her heart to stop pounding. "No, you're alright." She said quickly. "I just shouldn't have fallen asleep in your class."

"Yeah, it really wasn't the smartest thing to do." Mr. Smith teased before looking down at Rose's notebook. "Did you draw these?" He asked, picking it up and studying the statues that covered the page. Rose blushed, not use to anyone looking at her work.

"Yeah. I was just tryin' to keep myself awake." She gently took the notebook away from him and shoved it into her bag.

"Well they look brilliant." He assured her, smiling as he met her eyes.

"Thanks." Rose said shyly, standing up and slinging her bag over her shoulder. The rest of the class had emptied out already, and Rose knew she needed to follow if she didn't want to be late for her next one. "I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"

Mr. Smith nodded as Rose started to walk away, but he stopped her before she reached the door. "Rose, hold on."

She turned around, an uneasy feeling coming over her as she waited to see what he had to say. "Yeah?"

"You... you seem to be a bit more tired lately." Mr. Smith said, walking over to her. "Is everything going alright?"

Rose forced herself to nod. "Yeah. Just stayin' up a bit later than I probably should be." She gave a tight smile, hoping it looked at least somewhat real. Mr. Smith studied her silently, not quite convinced.

"You'd tell me, right? If something was wrong..."

"Of course." Rose interrupted, blushing as she realized she'd answered too quickly. "Everythin' s fine. Promise."

The silence around them was almost deafening as Rose itched to run out of the classroom. She didn't want this kind of attention. She just wanted to leave. Finally, Mr. Smith nodded, still looking at her warily.

"Alright." He said, motioning towards the doorway. "Don't want you to be late for class, but please, don't be afraid to tell me if somethings bothering you, alright?"

Rose nodded. "I'll remember that." She forced the kindest smile she could muster before turning to leave the classroom, letting out a deep breath once she was a decent distance away.


	2. Skipping Class

Rose had mixed emotions when she returned to her dorm that night to find that the door was already unlocked, signifying that Jimmy was waiting inside. She was always happy to see him, of course, but she could never tell his moods when he just showed up at random. She plastered a smile onto her face as she pushed open the door, steeling herself for whatever was to come. She was surprised to see Jimmy smiling back, holding up a movie in front of her face.

"Rented your favorite." He said, grinning like he was the best thing in the world. Rose read the title of the movie and groaned inwardly as she saw that it was actually one she couldn't stand. She wouldn't let him know that, though.

"Thanks, love." She said, going up on her toes and pressing her lips to his. He was trying to be sweet, and she would always accept it, even if she did hate the movie...

"I also brought you some noodles. They're in the fridge." Rose's eyes turned to look at the mini fridge tucked into the corner. She was actually surprised. A movie and Chinese. It was rare that he was that thoughtful.

Rose gave him another thankful kiss before tugging off her bag and tossing it onto the floor by her bed. She could feel Jimmy's eyes on her as she pulled off her hoodie, and she blushed as his fingers were suddenly on her arm, tracing the bruises he'd left behind. It took everything she had not to jerk her arm away.

"I'm so sorry, Rose." He said, placing a kiss on her shoulder. "You know I don't mean to do that."

"I know." Rose said quietly, forcing a small smile.

"I just... When I get mad, it's like I just snap..."

"Shh." Rose placed a hand on his cheek. "It's alright, really. I understand."

She guided him to sit on the small couch, hoping to leave the conversation behind them. "Just let me change clothes then we'll start the movie, yeah?" She waited for Jimmy to nod before she stepped over to her dresser, pulling out a pair of sweats and a vest top. She could feel him watching her as she changed, and she really hoped that he didn't make a move. She couldn't handle that tonight...

Relieved that he had stayed seated, Rose picked up the DVD and put it in the player before sitting down beside him. She went tense as he put his arm around her shoulders, but she reminded herself that he was doing it out of love and slowly began to relax. Apparently she relaxed too much, because she was suddenly pulled out of sleep by the feeling of hands roaming over her body.

"Jimmy, no." She said sleepily, shifting away from him as her eyes remained closed.

"What?" Jimmy's voice was dark as he asked his question, and Rose suddenly realized what she had said. Jimmy wasn't the kind of man you said no to.

She felt awake instantly as her heart pounded in her chest, and she pulled herself up as she wiped her eyes. "I mean, I'm just a bit tired tonight." She looked at Jimmy with hopeful eyes. "Can we just.. wait til tomorrow?"

Jimmy's eyes bored into hers as a scowl crossed his face. "I don't want to wait til tomorrow, Rose." He said, his hand reaching to touch her again. Rose couldn't stop herself from flinching, and the anger on Jimmy's face grew. "What? You scared of me now?"

"No!" Rose said quickly. "I love you."

"Well act like it." His voice sounded dangerous now, and Rose could feel her hands shaking as his tried to lift up her shirt. She scooted away from him, looking at the ground as she did so.

"Jimmy, please." She said quietly. "Not tonight." She finally forced herself to look at him when he pulled his hand away, and immediately wished she hadn't as his fist slammed into her face. She cried out as the pain shot through her cheek and eye, and she had to clamp her teeth to keep from making anymore noise.

"You're a tease, you know that?" Jimmy snapped, shoving her away from him and standing up from the couch. "You go and change clothes in front of a bloke, teasing him, then you skip the follow through later."

"I wasn't teasing you!" Rose cried, trying to hold in tears as she kept her hand covering her injury.

"Yeah, sure." He paced around the room, his breathing heavy as he let his anger get to him. Rose couldn't hold in her tears anymore, and was quietly sobbing on the couch. She wanted to go to the mirror and look at her face, but she didn't dare. Not while Jimmy was still there.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Jimmy crouched down on the floor in front of her, gently removing her hand and looking at her face. There was a bit of blood on her cheek from where one of Jimmy's rings had cut her. "I don't know why you make me do this, Rosie." He sighed, standing back up and walking away from her. Rose choked back another sob as she continued to stare at the floor, too scared to look at Jimmy. She finally lifted her head when she heard the door close, letting her know that he had left.

Rose quickly forced herself to stand and make her way to the bathroom, flinching as she saw her reflection in the mirror. Her cheek was already starting to turn blue, and Rose knew it was just going to get worse before it got better. She took a towel from the closet and held it under the faucet, letting the warm water dampen it. Gently, she wiped away the blood and tears from her face, refusing to meet her own eyes in the mirror. She didn't want to see that girl right now...

The next morning, her face was worse, her cheek and eye swollen as a dark bruise covered her skin. There was no way she could go to class like this, and she opened her computer to inform her teachers of such. She emailed them all individually, informing them that she was ill and wouldn't be making it to class that day. The only one who replied was Mr. Smith, and Rose was honestly surprised at his level of concern.

**_Rose,_**

**_How sick are you? Do you need me to bring you anything?_**

She caught herself smiling, wincing as it caused her face to hurt.

**_Mr. Smith,_**

**_No, I'm alright, just a stomach bug. I'll probably just need a few days to recover. Thank you though._**

She didn't expect him to reply again, but soon her computer dinged with a new message.

**_Rose,_**

**_I hope you recover quickly. Don't want you missing too much of the ancient gods :) Also, please remember what I said. You can talk to me if something's wrong. I'll help in any way I can._**

Rose felt tears sting her eyes as she read his message. He'd be so disappointed to know what she was hiding, but how could she tell him? How could she let him know that her boyfriend of 4 years punched and kicked her anytime she wronged him? She couldn't. That's all there was to it.

She closed the laptop without answering him back. All she wanted to do was sleep, and that's exactly what she did...


	3. Promise?

Rose barely left her bed over the next couple of days, instead choosing to hide away in the comfort of her blankets and pillows. Jimmy hadn't come back during that time, and even if he had, Rose didn't want to see him. She was too embarrassed, too ashamed of the dark purple bruise on her cheek.

She had thought a few times about messaging Mr. Smith, sending him an email that poured her heart out about her entire situation. She had decided against it early on though, knowing that he just wouldn't understand what was going on with her and Jimmy. He would just see all the bad that came along with being in the relationship. He wouldn't see what had made her fall in love in the first place.

She groaned as she forced herself to get out of bed, her body sore from the various bruises that covered it. She forced herself not to look in the mirror as she undressed to get in the shower. She didn't want to see the marks on her skin, all in various stages of healing. It was too hard to see what Jimmy could be capable of, and she'd just rather focus on the good things for now.

The warm water that rushed over her skin felt heavenly, and she just stood there for a while, her eyes closed as the water temporarily erased all the fear and worry from her. This is what she had needed from the beginning, and she reminded herself to remember that for next time.

Even though she really hoped there wouldn't be a next time...

She tugged on a pair of pajama shorts and a vest top once she was dried off, and she threw her hair up in a messy ponytail, not really all that concerned about her appearance. She heated up the noodles that Jimmy had brought over the other night and ate them, grimacing as she replayed that evening in her head. Why couldn't things just be simple? Why did everything have to come with so much pain?

She was pulled out of her thoughts by a knock on the door.

"Hello?" Rose asked, pressing her ear to the door so she could hear who was on the other side. She knew it wasn't Jimmy, he had a key and would just let himself in, and she didn't really have any other friends here at school...

"Rose?" Called a familiar voice, and she instantly recognized it as Mr. Smith. "It's John, um.., I mean, Mr. Smith. I just wanted to make sure you're alright."

Rose let out a deep breath. She couldn't open the door and let him see her like this...

"I'm fine." She answered, hoping that he'd be satisfied and go away. "Should be back in class Monday." Hopefully that was true. Surely by then the bruise would be light enough to be covered with make-up...

"Brilliant!" Mr. Smith said, a smile in his voice. "Well, I brought you some assignments that you've missed..."

Rose cursed silently.

"Just... can you slide them under the door?"

"Rose... What's wrong?" She could hear the concern in his voice.

"Nothin'." She could hear her voice shaking. "'M fine. Just don't want to expose you to my germs is all."

It was silent for a few moments before Mr. Smith spoke again.

"Promise?"

Rose hadn't been expecting that.

"Yeah... Promise."

It was silent for a few more moments before Rose saw a small stack of papers slip under the door at her feet.

"I'll expect you in class Monday, Rose."

She nodded before she remembered he couldn't see her. "I'll be there."

She could tell he stayed standing there a few beats longer, but finally, she heard his footsteps walking away.

* * *

The sudden crash of the door flinging open almost made Rose jump out of her skin. It was well past midnight, and she had assumed she was going to have another night to herself.

"Jimmy, what the hell are you doin'?" She asked, rising to her feet and glaring at him. At first glance she could tell he was wasted, and she really didn't feel like dealing with an intoxicated Jimmy at the moment.

"I missed you, Rose." He said, grabbing her arm and pulling her to him. Before she could say another word, his lips were crashing into hers, and she groaned against his mouth in pain. Finally, she was able to pull away.

"Jimmy, my face hurts!" She put a hand to her cheek, trying to sooth it. He gave her a drunken smirk.

"And who's fault is that, Rosie?"

Rose took a deep breath as she placed a hand on Jimmy's shoulder to turn him towards the door. "You need to go home and sleep this off, Jimmy." Before she could take a step, he was grabbing her arm and twisting it.

"Don't you fucking touch me." He growled, digging his nails into her skin. Rose gritted her teeth.

"I won't!" She cried, hoping he'd let go. After holding on for a few more seconds, he finally released her. He took a few deep breaths as he stared at her, and Rose was relieved to see him smile, his drunkenness working in her favor for once.

"I love you." He said, leaning down to kiss her again. Rose braced herself for it, trying her best to ignore the sting in her cheek. She tried to pull away after a moment, but Jimmy just deepened the kiss, slowly tugging her in the direction of the bed. Finally, she was able to pull her head back.

"Jimmy.." She said, her voice obvious that she was protesting him. Jimmy pulled back to glare at her.

"What? You gonna reject a bloke twice in a row then?"

Rose put both hands on her face, trying to compose herself.

"'M sorry, alright? I just haven't felt..."

"Felt what?" Jimmy cut her off. "Like getting in a good shag?" He forced a laugh, gripping her arm again as he did so. "Or are you just getting it from somewhere else now?"

"No." Rose defended, looking up to meet Jimmy's eyes. "There's no one else, Jimmy. I just haven't been in the mood."

"I can fix that." His hand was suddenly between Rose's thighs, rubbing at the material of her night shorts between her legs. Rose let her eyes fall closed, forcing herself to take a deep breath.

"Jimmy, stop it." She demanded. "You're drunk."

"And you're a tease." He remarked, pressing harder against her. Rose tried to step away from him, but he continued to grip her arm with his free hand. "Why can't you just relax?" He asked, pressing a kiss to Rose's neck.

"I don't want to..."

Jimmy finally pulled away from her, and Rose could see the fire in his eyes. "You're a selfish bitch." He shoved her then, pushing her against the wall and pinning her arm at her side. "All I'm trying to do is show you that I love you, and you're rejecting me."

"It's not like that." Rose whimpered, blinking away tears that were forming. "You know I hate having sex when you're drunk."

Rose screamed as a hand connected with her already bruised cheek, and immediately the same hand was clamped over her mouth. "Shut up!" Jimmy hissed. "Do you want someone coming in here?" Rose shook her head no as tears finally escaped.

"Good." He said, his voice softening. "Then just listen to me and go to the bed." Rose squeezed her eyes shut as she shook her head no once again, and in return, she felt a fist connect with her ribs. The pain caused her to loose her breath as she attempted to cry out.

Jimmy finally stepped away, stumbling in his drunken state. As soon as Rose could stand straight again, she shoved him, watching as his arms flailed and he fell to the floor. Before he could stand back up, she was running, leaving the dorm building behind her as she moved as fast as she could. She could only pray that Mr. Smith was still on campus...


	4. Help Me

Rose's entire body shook as she stood outside the door to Mr. Smith's office. It was nearly one in the morning, and she really hadn't expected the lights in his room to be on, but there they were, shining brightly through the small window just in front of her.

She felt sick to her stomach as she thought about knocking, her nerves making her just want to run and hide. What would he think of her if he saw her this way? He would know she had been lying to him, and what if that made him just as mad as it would make Jimmy?... No, Mr. Smith wasn't like Jimmy. He was kind...

Her heart nearly stopped when she suddenly stepped forward and rapped her knuckles on the door. She was shocked she had done it. There was no turning back now. It was too late to hide.

It was almost amusing how Mr. Smith barely peeked his head out the door, obviously caught off guard that someone would be knocking at this hour. As soon as he saw Rose though, he opened the door wide and was by her side in seconds. "Rose, what's happened?" He demanded, taking in her battered face.

"I need help." She said shakily, her nerves making her throat feel tight.

Immediately Mr. Smith took her by the arm, slowly leading her to sit in his desk chair. As soon as she was seated, the dam broke loose, sobs wracking her body against her will. She trembled as she held her face in her hands, and she couldn't help but stiffen as she felt Mr. Smith's hand land on her back in comfort.

She wasn't use to being comforted...

"Rose, I need you to tell me what happened." He said gently but sternly. Rose took a deep breath, composing herself.

"It was Jimmy." She managed, taking another breath as forced herself to calm down. "He lost his temper and took it a little too far this time."

Anger immediately flooded Mr. Smith, but he didn't let it show. Rose was much too fragile right now for him to let his emotions get the best of him. "He's done this to you before?" His voice was gentle as he asked the question, still trying to keep Rose calm.

She nodded her answer, keeping her eyes focused on his desk and not on him. "But it's not usually this bad, yeah? And he always feels terrible later."

Mr. Smith stayed quiet a few moments as he stepped away from Rose and silently paced in front of his desk. He had wondered for weeks if something like this had been going on. If only he had asked about it sooner, maybe then she would have confided in him before it came to this...

"Mr. Smith?" He turned his head as the sound of Rose's shaking voice, finally making eye contact with her. "'M Sorry."

Mr. Smith was shocked. "Rose Tyler, what on Earth do you have to be sorry for?"

"For lyin'." She mumbled, "You made me promise, and I broke it."

His heart truly broke for her then, and he knelt down on the ground to be eye level with her. "You don't have to apologize to me, Rose." He said, watching a stray tear roll down her cheek. "You've told me now, and that's what matters. We'll fix this. I promise."

He was relieved to see the smallest of smiles form at the corner of her lips.

* * *

**Sorry it's taken me over a year to update. I'm a terrible person. My muse had died for this story, but I felt inspired again tonight. I really do love this idea and hope to see it through till the end. Hope it was a relief to finally have Rose tell Mr. Smith! I know this was a short chapter, but I'm determined to update more regularly now. **


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